


Another Side, Another Story

by Duo_Swords



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, F/M, Frisk is female, Grow Up Together, Slow Build, chara is male, more tags as story progresses, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-30 10:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6420793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duo_Swords/pseuds/Duo_Swords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Asriel hadn't died that fateful day? What if, instead of standing tall and allowing the humans to shoot him dead, he ran, ran faster than he ever had before, and becomes lost in the world above?</p><p>Well, he has to find his way back home, doesn't he?</p><p>In other words, the time where Asriel meets Frisk under entirely different circumstances.</p><p>Previously dubbed 'A Long Road Home'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On The Run

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks big bro for the editing. You're the best. Though you probably wouldn't see this...

**Where are you running, Y O U   C O W A R D?**

He ran so fast that his stomach was turning inside out (as if it was he not **him** who swallowed the poison flowers). He couldn't go back, he couldn't- not with what **he** had in mind. Not with the fire he saw through **his** eyes. So he ran, barely feeling the arrows in his back and side. He ran into the trees, the forests, the unknown, holding the body close to him.

"Where is that demon?"

"I swear I saw it run this way!"

He ran faster when he heard the voices calling from behind him and a dozen boots crunching leaves- he stopped short, right before he ran off the ledge, his long purple robes bellowing about his small form. He turned, trying to find escape through the dense trees, but it was too late.

He was trapped, surrounded by the angry voices and the pounding footsteps.

He closed his mouth shut before he could let out a whimper. He was scared, oh stars, he was so _scared_. Tears began to well up as he hugged the body closer to him.

**Great, we'll die a _crybaby_.**

He looked over the cliff, the fall was high and, even without his injuries, he probably wouldn't make it.

When the voices sounded closer, he rapidly turned his gaze back to the trees.

 **It's your choice, Asriel,** their voice said with quiet certainty, **death by fall or death to our enemies.**

"It's here! The demon spawn is here!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped, body, robes, and all.


	2. Twin Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again big bro!

Asriel's first word after waking on a pile of leaves was a cry. Everything hurt, _everything hurt_. His arm and his legs felt fractured, his head pounded, and his very soul ached. Something warm and sticky like tree sap stuck to his back. At least, he hoped it was tree sap, not blood coming out of holes the arrows had pierced through.

Sharp pain traveled up his spine and bloomed at his side as he sat up. Yelping pathetically, he fell back down again. He couldn't move again for several minutes- or was that hours? He had no way of knowing.

It took him a moment of blinding pain to realize, something was different. Someone was silent.

"Chara?" He croaked out. His voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

But no one came.

"Chara?" He croaked again, coughing from the effort. He tasted metal in his mouth.

But no one came.

"Chara, this isn't... This isn't funny!" He whined, making another attempt to sit up, gingerly this time.

He grasped at the fallen leaves around him, spotting no trace of his brother's body. His eyes grew wide.

He must have dropped the body during the fall. He looked down at his small arms as if they betrayed him. His striped green and yellow jumper was stained with leaves, blood, and dirt. Mom would kill him if she saw him like this. His vision began to blur. Mom.

Tears flooded his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks. He couldn't do it. Couldn't stick to the plan. Couldn't kill the few to free the many.

"I'm sorry," he cried to a brother he couldn't see or hear, "I'm sorry. Please, just-"

He paused, seeing a figure through blurred eyes. It looked small, humanoid. Could it be?

He stood up on shaky feet and reached out to the figure, wiping his eyes to see it better, "Chara?"

The figures didn't wait for him, but turned and bolted it out of there.

"Wait!" He cried, stumbling after them, "Chara, wait!"

He ran through trees, thorns, and shrubbery to reach them. But he was always the slower runner, coupled with the unknown terrain and his multiple injuries, he was definitely losing them.

Tears blurred his vision as he ran. He had no way of catching up.

"Char-AH!" He cried out as he felt sharp clamp on his foot, momentum bringing him down to the earth.

It had been a ritual between them. Chara would run on ahead, leaving Asriel rushing to catch up. Something, or maybe his own stupid feet, would trip him up and leave him sprawled on the ground, crying. Chara would come over with a pitying smile, chastise him for being a such crybaby, then they would walk together, side by side, for the rest of the day.

Except this time, things were different. Except this time, tripping really, really hurt and Chara wasn't... Chara wasn't there anymore to help him up. To chastise him for being a stupid crybaby. To walk side by side with him and talk about nothing as he wiped the last of his tears away...

He looked down with wide eyes, seeing the blood seep from where the iron teeth bit through his trousers. Who was he kidding? Chara had always been the stronger, faster, smarter of the two. There was no way Asriel could function in this world without them.

Suddenly, it became too much. The grief from Chara's premature death, the absorption of his brother's soul, the new thoughts invading his mind that were so foreign yet so familiar. Then came the pain. So much pain and fear. So much screaming. So much running.

Now he was stuck here, alone, in this place he's never been before, full of a pain he never felt before, chasing a phantom he thought was his dead brother. Tears began to well up without prompting and he began to weep openly, memories filling his thoughts. He hugged his knees to his chest, sobbing harder as he felt the metal teeth dig deeper into his clothed leg.

He was so immersed in his grief and suffering that he didn't notice footsteps stop just a few feet away from him. The figure knelt down over him and touched the fur of his head.

The reaction was instant. He scrambled away from the touch, whimpering as the trap bit deeper at his leg. He stared at the figure as it scampered a couple feet away from him, sharing his wide-eyed surprise.

From this distance, he was able to discern details; cropped chestnut hair, band-aid stuck to the side of a pale brown face, and striped shirt, the splitting image of his adopted brother... But not somehow...

"Chara?" He asked tentatively, trying to wipe the tears from his face.

"...no?" the words came out in a raspy whisper, it was barely discernible but the voice definitely belonged to a girl. Definitely not Chara then.

"Oh," he said, somewhat disappointed. He winced as he introduced himself with a short wave, "well, um, Howdy. I'm Asriel Dreemurr. What's your name?"

The child paused, eyes wide and wild, before she giggled.

Asriel pouted as he dropped his hand, "what are you laughing about?"

"Nothing," the child replied, "you just..." They paused for a moment, "talk so normal..."

"What's that supposed to mean!" Asriel blushed, embarrassed, before he remembered himself, "well, you haven't told me your name yet and mom says that it's rude not to when another person already introduced themselves."

At this, the child giggled again but she acquiesced, "Frisk."

"Frisk?" Asriel scratched the back of his head, wincing as he moved his legs, "Nice... Nice To meet you, Frisk."

Frisk, his newfound pal, pointed towards his wounded leg, "need a little help?"

He looked towards his leg that was bleeding profusely and nodded furiously at the other.

With another bit stifled laughter, the girl (who looked so much like his brother) strolled over and began prying apart the device. As the metal teeth slid out of his leg, Asriel howled and screamed, scaring some nearby crows in the process.

With deft fingers, she tore the bloodied tatters of Asriel's pant leg to examine the wound. Reaching into her pocket, Frisk produced a wad of bandages and wrapped it around the leg, making sure to cover up the wound.

Asriel whimpered softly, delirious from the pain, as Frisk tied a tight knit at one end.

He watched Frisk through half-lidded eyes, "you're... Good at this..."

Frisk shrugged, "I've had experience."

Asriel waited for Frisk to elaborate but when she didn't, he didn't pry.

There were several things that were left unspoken in the underground. Even the nicest of monsters were tight lipped about the subject of the prewar and war days. At an early age, Asriel had realized that this was because recalling such things was painful so he swore never to pry. Even when Chara asked him a million questions about it-

He felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up at his new friend as she asked, "do you have anywhere to stay for tonight?"

Huh... He never thought of that before. Chara was always the one with the ideas, the plans to follow, and he... He just followed. He never thought about what Chara was planning once they passed the barrier. Never imagined to look on the human's face as Chara ordered him to kill-

Tears began to well up again, but before he began to sob, Frisk put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a bright smile. With a light cheery voice, she explained, "If you don't have anywhere to stay tonight, you can stay at my place."

He felt his own face light up significantly, "Really?"

"Sure! Just, can't let my mom know. She's not good with talking goat _kids_."

Asriel stared at them with confusion, "what?"

Frisk laughed this time and it sounded high and sharp like bells. The sound made him feel better, like he could breathe again. She stood up and gave him a hand, "Come on, I'll help you up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kid has two meanings. On one hand, it's synonymous with a human child, but it also refers to goat offspring. First pun of the story. ^^


	3. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you bro! This chapter would have gone on differently if you hadn't edited it! :D  
> Also thank you readers for commenting! It really made my day reading them! ^^

"Can you walk?"

Asriel stood, leaning on a tree to steady himself. Once he took a step however, he nearly fell, if his new friend had not caught him so quickly. He gave Frisk a small smile, "Thanks."

"No problem," Frisk answered.

They walked side by side, Asriel leaning against Frisk's shoulder.

As they reached a clearing, Frisk shoved Asriel into some shrubbery. It took Asriel a lot of willpower to not scream from the blinding white fire when he landed on his injured leg.

"Frisk!" Asriel rasped, "what the-"

But Frisk clamped his jaw shut and put a finger to her lips.

In the sudden silence, he could hear voices emerging from the side, "any sign of it?"

"No," replied another, "but the dogs found a lot of blood in a pile of leaves. It couldn't have gone far."

"Sir! We found the body the monster was carrying!" A new voice shouted.

"Do you know who it is?" Asked the second voice.

"Sir... It's your son... Chara."

Asriel's eyes widened at the name, _Chara? They found Chara?_

He raised himself up to see- but felt a small hand grab his. Frisk shook her head once, dragging him back down.

He wanted to pull his hand away, wanted to scream at her, wanted to tell her why this was important, why he wanted- why he _needed_ \- but he only put his head down and stayed silent.

"David, you go look for more clues. Connor... take me to him," The second voice commanded.

The sounds of their pounding footsteps slowly diminished until they could no longer be heard.

Frisk got up to her feet, peering through the leaves before she whispered to Asriel, "they’re gone."

She helped Asriel up to his feet and began heading up the side of a hill, where Frisk supposedly lived. Asriel stared at Frisk for a moment, wondering what she thought of the overheard conversation, but Frisk's face remained annoyingly neutral.

When they reached what looked like a large barnyard, Frisk turned to him, "this is where you’ll be staying tonight."

Asriel looked around at the rotted and broken down barn, then to the small herd of goats, sheep, and cows, and gave Frisk a pointed 'are you serious' look, one eyebrow cocked.

Frisk brought out both hands in a placating gesture, "Sorry, Asriel. Can't let mom know that you're here. Besides, who wouldn't like company while they-" a goat baaa-ed loudly as if it too was displeased with this arrangement, "-sleep..." Frisk finished awkwardly.

Asriel looked around, as if expecting a small bed to be laying around somewhere, he wasn't surprised when he found none.

Frisk scratched her head before she resumed speaking, "Look, I know this place kinda sucks, but this is all I can give you now. I can get you a blanket and some food but I can’t really do anything else. I would’ve let you sleep in the house but I don't think I can explain to mom why a talking goat is sleeping in my bed. She's always angry now after... I just don't want to deal with another one of her... With her." She finished lamely.

Asriel put a furry hand on hers, "I'm sorry, you're trying your best. Thank you."

Frisk blushed faintly, giving Asriel a faded smile, "Great! Well, I better get back! I'll meet you back here and stuff."

Asriel answered with a smile, sitting down on a stiff box of hay as Frisk ran to the little house on the side.

As soon as he saw his new friend disappear through the door, he heard a loud shout come from within, "YOU MISERABLE GIRL! HOW MANY TIMES-" followed by a series of sharp slaps.

He winced, suddenly very glad that he was in the cold ruins of this broken down barn, sitting on a pile of dry hay rather than inside... There. But more than anything, he wished he was home. He wished he was sitting by the fireplace or running after Chara while his mother sat in her rocking chair, reading about some interesting snail facts-

He looked down, tears filming his vision. He wiped his eyes, there was no use being homesick. He was here now so he had to be strong. Strong like Chara was-

"Hey," said a quiet voice besides him.

He nearly jumped out of his fur, staring wide-eyed at Frisk, as she began setting a couple of things down onto the hay without a sound. There were several bruises on her face and, for some terrible reason, he couldn't look away.

It took a couple of seconds for his voice to come to him, "s-so..." Then, his brain hit a blank, mouth open awkwardly.

She smiled, stretching the discoloration on her face, "don't worry, this is nothing..."

"I don't understand," he said, blinking rapidly, "what did you do?"

She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, when they both heard a distinctive rumbling coming from Asriel's stomach.

"Oh yeah, food," she shuffled behind her, revealing what looked (and smelled) like a delicious, delicious piece of cake.

Asriel began salivating as Frisk handed him the plate. Immediately, he dug in with reckless abandon, practically inhaling the cake before Frisk's hand left the plate. Instantaneously, he began to feel better as his food-fueled magic sewed his wounds shut.

He must have looked weird because she stared at him for a couple of seconds before she full on guffawed at his display, and though he felt his shame spread across his face, he couldn’t help feel good that he brought a genuine smile to her face.

"Um... S-so that was r-really good..." He stuttered, looking down at his plate, "thanks."

"Did you even taste it?"

"Yeah," he answered, a tad defensive.

"Ok, then what kinda cake was it?"

"It was a- a..." He trailed off. What kind of cake was it?

"Aha!" She exclaimed with victory, "it was a cardamom buttercream cake! You just ate my slice without even tasting it!"

"Wait," he said, suddenly self-conscious, "your slice?"

She waved her hand at him, "don't worry about it; I had a full meal before this."

Asriel watched her, eyes narrowed. He was never good at spotting lies when it came to Chara but Frisk was an open book. Guilt rumbled horribly in his full stomach.

"Anyway," she stated, clearing her throat, "I overheard some things and I wanted to ask..." She looked at him with her eyes opened wide, "what are you?"

Asriel put the plate on the hay before his shaking hands could break it, "what do you mean?"

"You're not like us, are you? I mean, you look so different. Are you the only one? Is there more of you out there?"

"Uhhh," Asriel scratched his head, quite overwhelmed by the sudden rapid-fire questioning, "I'm a monster..."

"WHAAAAT?!" She screamed, before clamping her hands over her mouth. Quickly, she looked around her, as if making sure that no one heard her shout, before she resumed speaking, "no way! You can't be a monster!"

"What? Why?" Asriel pouted, feeling a bit disgruntled. Chara had the same impression when they first met. In fact, he had laughed so hard, he threw a coughing fit. It had irked Asriel to no end.

"Because- because monsters don’t exist!”

Asriel's eyes widened, "What?"

"They’re just something parents made up to scare little babies,” she snorted, “besides, you’re nice and you talk just like us. There's no way you can be a big scary baby-stealing monster in the stories!"

"What stories?" He asked, genuinely curious. Chara had mentioned legends the humans had about monsters, but he would never tell Asriel. No matter how many times he tried to badger his brother into telling him.

"It's nothing," She waved her hand, "just some stupid bedtime stories.”

"Tell me," he urged.

"Ok, well, according to the legend, there was this huge war between the monsters and humans. The humans won and kicked the monsters’ butt into Mount Ebott. And mom always ends with 'and that's why you shouldn't climb Mount Ebott cuz the monsters will get ya!'" She emphasized this by holding out her fingers like claws, "but everybody knows that isn't true. I go up there all the time and I've never seen a single-"

"But it's true," Asriel interrupted, "if you don't believe it, then what did you think I am?"

"A...a..." She scratched her chin in thought, "Magical talking goat?" She shrugged.

Asriel narrowed his eyes as he pouted, "I'm not a magical talking goat."

"Yeah, but you can't be a monster! Monsters are supposed to be big, fat, and ugly. They run around stealing animals and killing kids and people and stuff. You don't do that-"

"That's cuz monsters don't do that! Have you even met a monster?" Asriel shouted indignantly, before amending, "Be-besides me..."

She stared at him for a couple of minutes, "No...?"

"Then how do you know that?"

"Because everyone does!"

Asriel let out a sigh, this was going nowhere. Grumbling, he wondered if Chara had thought the same when they first met. Maybe that was why he decided not to tell Asriel the story.

"How's this, I'll tell you our side of the story.”

She shoved her hands in her pockets, setting her eyes to the ground, "yeah, sure, whatever."

He hesitated. It always hurt their father to tell them the story, but Chara would badger him to tell them so many times that Asriel practically knew the story by soul. His pout deepened into a frown as he began the tale.

“Once upon a time, two races ruled the earth; the humans and the monsters. For a millennia, the two races lived in harmony with one another. However, there was one difference that set the two apart, one difference that the humans feared-”

“The fact that you monsters look like talking goat people?”

“Wha-what?” Asriel spluttered, “No- We don’t all look alike! And besides! Humans weren’t afraid of that! They were afraid of magic!”

“What? So you really are a magical talking goat-”

“ _Monster!_ Anyway, I haven’t even finished the story! Stop interrupting!” He yelled before recomposing himself, "monsters are literally made of magic. Though there are some humans who were also attuned to magic, most humans feared the monsters because of their strong connection with magic. So they began a war with the monsters and the monsters lost. Your kind forced us underground, deep into Mount Ebott and placed a powerful magical barrier stopping any monster from leaving-"

"So someone broke the barrier?"

His answer was barely audible, "no."

"But then how did you get out?"

Asriel bowed his head, imagining Chara's lifeless form in his arms, his voice came out in a rasp, "only a monster with both a human's and a monster's soul can leave the barrier."

He brought his hand to wipe the unshed tears out of his eyes and stopped, suddenly mesmerized by the light pink shade that tinged his fur. But it wasn’t just his fur, the world around him seemed to shift in color, changing from cool colors to light pastels. He looked for the source of the anomaly and looked up, straight into the sky. Straight into the red and orange sky.

He blinked. Then he wiped his eyes one more time. No change. Were his eyes deceiving him? He swore that the sky had been a deep blue just seconds before-

"you look like you've never seen a sunset before. What, have you been living under a rock your entire life?"

Asriel furled his eyebrows as he stared up at the pastel sky, "sun...set?"

"Yeah!" She continued, "when the sun sets, it brings out these red and orange lights. Like this!” She spread out her arms to the whole of the sky.

He stared at the sun as the white ball of light fell below the horizon. He rubbed his stinging eyelids.

She giggled beside him, “You’re not supposed to stare at it directly, silly!”

He turned to face her, a light orange softening the curves of her cheeks. He smiled back back at the sky, “it’s beautiful.”

She paused for a moment, staring down at her lap, "humans shouldn’t be so scared."

He turned to look at her, "what's that?"

She met his gaze, "what is it like in the underground?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asriel's first sunset! Hope you enjoyed!


	4. A Simple Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Bro, even though you don't want me to credit you, this is my story and I do what I want!
> 
> And thanks to all you lovely readers. Sorry for taking so long. Life is hectic, a rollercoaster. I'll try to update sooner but no promises. So enjoy this unusually long chapter!

He awoke to the sunlight peering faintly through the barrier. Huh, must have fallen asleep in the garden again.

He sat up in the bed of flowers, scratching at his eyes. There was another figure lying prone next to him.

"Chara," he shook his brother, sleep still making an appearance in his voice, "Chara wake up. Chara?"

He turned Chara's body over, revealing pasty white skin, faded eyes, and gaunt face, a tuft of golden flowers poked out of his mouth.

"No," he whispered, "Chara... CHARA!"

The faded eyes slowly turned to look at him, flowers spilling out of his brother's mouth by the hundreds as he whispered something inaudible through purple lips.

"What?" Asriel cried, bringing an ear closer to his brother's lips.

" **Why didn't you listen?** "

Suddenly, several vines wrapped around his neck. He scrambled back, tears streaming, but he was literally rooted in place.

His brother stood up, staring down at him with eyes like dark bleeding voids, " **In this world, IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED!** "

He inhaled a sharp breath as he jolted awake. His eyes traveled around the foreign scenery. Was he in a barn? With goats? The offending creature bit into the pile of hay.

For a second he watched it as it continued to gnaw heartily, before he felt someone stir beside him. He turned to see the cropped hair and light brown face.

"Cha-" he bit his lip, catching himself.

 _This wasn't Chara. Chara is gone._ His brain reminded himself. He felt a lump in his throat and a thin sheen of tears appear in his eyes but he refused to cry. He'd done that enough already.

Instead, he sighed, shifting his position on the makeshift mattress when he heard a yawn. He turned to see Frisk still snoozing besides him.

They had talked about all kinds of things until, at some point, they fell asleep. It was nice, just like how his brother and he would fall asleep on the grass- Chara's face suddenly flashed in his mind, eyes dark holes and mouth full of buttercups.

He rubbed his eyes to wipe the memory away-

He felt something move beside him.

Frisk gazed deeply at him with sultry eyes, "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning?" Asriel answered with a confused half-smile.

Frisk looked annoyed for a second, as if that wasn't the reaction she was looking for, before she sat up and stretched, "So, what do you want to do today, goat boy?"

His smile instantly turned into a frown, "I have a name you know."

She turned and looked at him with sly grin, "What do you want to do today, _Asriel_?"

He huffed in response, flopping up a long dangling ear to one side, "Well, I dunno."

"How's you come with me to the forest? There's these really cool caves in Mount Ebott that we can explore and find cool treasures."

Asriel sat up, "REALLY?"

"I mean," Frisk hesitated, waving a hand, "not really, the only cool thing that I found were a couple of old statues and this really big hole that seemed to go on forever-"

"FRISSSK!!"

"Oh crap, Mom found out I skipped out on morning chores, we gotta bolt."

Before he could react, she jumped to her feet, grabbing Asriel's hand along the way. He stumbled up after her, almost falling face first into a dilapidated barn wall in their haste to get away. Stumbling turned into a full out sprint as they heard the back door slam open.

They ran and ran through the trees until the yelling became a distant sound. Laughter erupted from his human companion as they slowed their run into a stop, half breathless, half giddy.

"Is... That... Ok to do?" Asriel asked between breaths.

"Pfft, please," she waved a dismissive hand at him, "she's always mad about something. I just gave her an excuse this time."

"But she's your mother."

"Yeah, so what?"

He stared at her, mortified. He had always believed in listening to his elders and, though Chara had modified the rule a bit, he never so blatantly disregarded his mother's requests.

"Oh great, don't tell me you're a goodie-two-shoes like _him_ ," she muttered under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she answered as she continued deeper into the forest. They walked in moody silence. Asriel glanced at her, her bruise was a deeper shade now. Maybe if he could just- he grabbed something red that looked like strawberries but Frisk put a hand over his and shook her head, "you shouldn't eat those, they'll upset your stomach-" she blinked at his face, "uh, I think, at least they would for humans."

She motioned some blue striped berries, "those are better."

After collecting a couple, he turned to face her, "let me show you something."

Gathering a pile of the berries in his hands, he closed his eyes, willing his fire magic to come to life. The heat danced in the palms of his hands, cooking the berries in one instant blitz. He opened his eyes. Most of them were heavily charred but there were a few that came out fantastically, their blue darkened to a rich navy color, oozing with sweet juices. He shook his head, "sorry, Mom was always better at cooking with fire magic than I was-"

"Holy smokes! That was so awesome! How did you do that?"

Her face was so close to his that he could see stars in her eyes, he flushed, eyes matching her wide ones, "uuhhh... m-magic? You-you want to try some?"

At his shaky request she grabbed some, she even took some of the charred ones much to Asriel's chagrin, and hesitantly took a bit. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as she began stuffing the remainder in her mouth.

This time, it was Asriel's turn to chuckle at her blatant lack of table manners, but he didn't care. The discoloration on her cheek was quickly giving way to smooth healthy skin with each handful of berries.

He popped one of the moderately charred ones in his mouth and savored the sweetly sour taste. Before he could eat another, she grabbed his hand, "Hey, let me show you something!"

He let her drag him through the wooded path, clenching his teeth as his fur caught on the loose branches and thorny brush. Frisk, on the other hand, maneuvered through the brush with ease.

His breath caught in his throat as they reached the clearing. Before their eyes was an enormous waterfall pooling into a cool, dense river, it’s waters trickled down the brook in a slow, uneven pace. This was nothing like the serene almost passive waterfalls in the underground, but a roaring force of nature. It beat down on the rocks, tore through the steep cliff, only to calm near the grassy plains where they stood.

"Pretty _cool_ , don't'cha think?"

He turned from the awesome display to frown at Frisk's awful pun. She giggled in response.

“Well, I have to say, it’s pretty _waterful._ ”

She laughed until her cheeks were tinged pink, “Haha! You are awful at this!”

“ _Water_ you talking about? I thought it was pretty good!” He smiled, sheepishly at her. She had a nice laugh.

Once her laughter subsided to giggles, she gave him a once over, “Wow, you really need a bath.”

He looked down at himself. He was covered head to toe in mud, dirt, and… was that blood? Why yes, that was blood. Golly, that was never gonna wash off. He looked up at Frisk, opening his mouth to say something, and froze.

She gave him a very mischievous grin, a grin that Chara would have before he suggested something that Asriel would regret doing. He swallowed nervously, “uhhh, Frisk. What are you-”

He felt two small hands shove him. He toppled, head over heals, into the cold still lake, making a small ‘plop’ as he hit the water’s surface. He promptly resurfaced, coughing out some icy water he swallowed during his fall, “Hey! What was that for-”

He stopped mid-sentence as he saw Frisk shrugging off her sweater, revealing a white sheer undershirt. He blanched, “What! What are you doing?!”

“I’m gonna join you, silly,” She poked her tongue out at him as she began removing her shorts.

Quickly, he covered his eyes with both paws, sinking back into the water.

His reprieve was short lived however, when he felt a splash of water ripple through the river’s surface and he felt another body join his own. He laughed, nearly choking on river water, as fingers began to attack his sides. In an effort to get away from the tickle barrage, he splashed Frisk right in the face.

Frisk stared at him, her shock transparent on her face, before it morphed into a wicked grin, “Oh, you’re gonna get it now.”

Suddenly, Asriel felt the distinct urge to start running, or in this case, swimming as if his life depended on it. However, when he felt a small hand wrap around his ankle, he knew that it was a lost cause.

Quickly, he was pulled under, ears flying upwards at the speed of his descent. Luckily he had the hindsight to close his mouth before hitting under, else he would have become lightheaded from oxygen deprivation. As agile as a fish, Frisk speed around him until she was in front of him. Even through the haze of water, he was able to see the wicked glint in her eyes.

At that moment, Asriel realized exactly what she was about to do. She was waiting for him to run out of oxygen and swim upwards for the perfect splash attack. However, there was a weakness in this plan, since she didn’t want to be vulnerable to an attack, she had to keep herself under as well. This was a waiting game of who could stay under the longest.

However, Asriel never had the lung capacity for such a game and made a beeline for the top. As he reached the surface, he closed his eyes, bracing himself the the oncoming splash attack… that didn’t come. He peeked an eye open. Frisk wasn’t there in front of him. In fact, she hadn’t even surfaced.

Panic seized his soul as he dived down the water to find her. She was there, eyes half-closed, leg snagged by a long green vine. Thinking quickly on his feet, he sent a shot of fire magic at the vine to release her and he wrapped an arm around her to drag them both to the surface.

Once they broke water, he pulled her onto the bank to examine her. She was pale, though there was still some pink left on her brown cheeks.

“Frisk?” He shook her, trying to rouse an answer out of her. To no avail. Thinking quickly on his feet, he leaned down in an attempt to force the water out like how Chara taught him in the underground.

As soon as his lips touched hers, she wrapped her arms up and around him, deepening the kiss.

Immediately, Asriel pulled away, eyes wide as saucers, “what the-”

She gave him a smile as wide as the sky, “You took my first kiss.”

Asriel stared at he in utter bewildered amazement. Was this what she was really aiming for? He shook his head, “What the hell! I thought you were dying!?”

“But I wasn’t,” she answered with a smug grin.

“Whatever,” he groaned, unable to scrub the blush off his face.

As the sun reached the top of the sky, they laid on the grassy meadow, basking in its warm rays.

Asriel must have fallen asleep because the next second he awoke, the sky was dark and scattered with thousands upon thousands of bright twinkling stars. He took in a deep breath, as the tiny twinkling lights began dotting the sky until they covered the black expanse of void. They shone brilliantly like tiny suns for worlds and faraway places. He wondered if other beings were looking up to the same sky as they were.

He let out a soft sigh of awe, eyes growing wider than saucers. Asriel never felt so small, not even when he first went to the cave of stars. He remembered when his father took him as a small boy to the cave and he looked up at the tiny white sparkles that littered the ceiling. It all paled in comparison to this great expanse of void and star.

He felt a hand tug on his sleeve. He turned to face her, her face half-shaded in the brightness of the full moon, "shooting star, quick! Make a wish!"

“Wait, wha-” He followed her gaze to see a lone sparkle falling before disappearing out of sight.

“Didja make a wish?”

He turned back to his companion with a confused expression, “No… Not really.”

She let out an annoyed puff of air, “Come on! That was your chance! Haven’t you ever wished on a star before?”

He hesitated. He had made a wish on a star. A terribly innocent wish that cost the life of his best friend. He remembered the look on Chara’s face when Asriel told him his wish. There was the usual playful mockery, but his eyes… they were filled with something Asriel couldn’t understand. Asriel swallowed, turning away from the stars before answering in a hoarse whisper, “yes.”

She gave him a meaningful look before looking to the stars and shouting, “I wished we can go out and explore the world together!”

His eyes widened significantly, turning towards her, shocked, “Wha?”

She turned to face him, her smile glowing bright, “You’re fun to be with. Not like anyone I’ve ever met before. I’ve always dreamed of exploring the world- I mean, I had planned on going with my-” she hesitated, looking down at her feet, “but that doesn’t matter, I want you to come with me!”

He flushed at her words, small smile gracing his face as he looked back down at his feet, “Th-Thanks”

“You promise?” She asked with determination glittering in her eyes.

“I-uh, I promise,” he scratched the back on his neck through the blades of grass. He was glad for the darkness, it hid away his blush.

He looked up into the sky with an odd smile, watching the stars twinkle before him. He had always wondered what actual stars were like. He'd seen pictures in books, looked up at the tiny shiny rocks in the caves. But they all paled in comparison the the vast brilliant scatter of actual stars.

“hey, Fri-” he turned to see her softly snoozing. A smile graced his lips as he watched her dozed off. Maybe it would be fun to go exploring with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like all the puns? I'm terrible. Hope you enjoyed the art! I thought to put in something extra for making you guys wait for so long. Well as always, I hope you enjoyed! See ya in the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! ^^


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